Emerging Frontiers in Veterinary Vaccinology and Protective Immunity

Infectious diseases affecting livestock, poultry, aquaculture species, companion animals, and other veterinary hosts represent major challenges to animal health, global food security, economic sustainability, and public health. The emergence of evolving viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens, together with the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the limited availability of approved antiviral therapies for many veterinary viral diseases, highlights the urgent need for effective, adaptable, and sustainable preventive strategies. Addressing this gap calls for vaccines that are not only more protective and more stable, but also deployable at scale, for instance via oral or immersion routes that avoid handling stress and allow whole herds, flocks, or populations to be immunised at once. Such approaches carry direct consequences for disease burden, reliance on antimicrobials, and production losses.This Research Topic aims to highlight emerging advances in veterinary vaccinology, nanovaccinology, and protective immunity, focusing on innovative vaccine platforms, advanced adjuvant technologies, antigen-delivery systems, and immune mechanisms underlying vaccine-induced protection. Emerging approaches include protein nanocages, virus-like particles (VLPs), and other nanoparticle-based platforms, antigen/adjuvant co-display systems, recombinant and subunit vaccines, mRNA and other nucleic acid-based vaccines, advanced RNA delivery technologies, viral vectors, and mucosal vaccine platforms designed for diverse veterinary species. By integrating molecular immunology, nanotechnology, comparative vaccinology, and host–pathogen biology, this collection aims to advance the development and evaluation of effective vaccines across terrestrial and aquatic animal hosts.The primary goal of this Research Topic is to address key scientific and translational challenges in antigen presentation, innate and adaptive immune responses, immune correlates of protection, vaccine durability, and field applicability. Contributions will provide insights into how different veterinary species recognize vaccine antigens, regulate immune responses, and achieve protective immunity. In bringing these strands together, the collection is intended as a meeting point for immunologists, virologists, vaccine engineers, and veterinary clinicians whose work converges on animal, human, and environmental health, with practical relevance for controlling emerging pathogens and easing pressure on antimicrobial use.We welcome the submission of Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspective articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Next-generation veterinary vaccine platforms for livestock, poultry, aquaculture species, companion animals, and other veterinary hosts, including protein nanocages, virus-like particles (VLPs), nanoparticle-based vaccines, subunit vaccines, viral vectors, mRNA vaccines, DNA/RNA-based vaccines, RNA delivery platforms, and emerging vaccine technologies. • Nanovaccinology and advanced vaccine engineering, including self-assembling nanostructures, protein-based nanoplatforms, nano-enabled antigen delivery, targeted immune stimulation, and strategies to improve antigen stability, presentation, and protective efficacy. • Adjuvant technologies and antigen–adjuvant co-display strategies, including molecular adjuvants, nano-adjuvants, immune stimulators, and multifunctional vaccine formulations designed to enhance immune activation, durability, and protective immunity. • Emerging mRNA vaccine formulations and RNA delivery technologies, including lipid-based nanoparticles, polymeric and biomimetic delivery systems, self-amplifying RNA platforms, RNA stabilization strategies, and novel approaches to improve antigen expression, cellular delivery, and antiviral protection. • Mucosal vaccine development and delivery systems, including oral, intranasal, immersion, and other non-invasive vaccination approaches that enhance mucosal immunity and enable practical vaccination strategies for terrestrial and aquatic species. • Innate and adaptive immune mechanisms underlying vaccine-induced protection, including immune correlates of protection, immune memory, antigen recognition, and species-specific immune responses. • Host–pathogen interactions and comparative immunology, including immune responses to emerging viral, bacterial, and parasitic diseases across livestock, poultry, aquaculture species, companion animals, and wildlife. • Systems vaccinology and One Health approaches, including computational and multi-omics strategies for vaccine discovery, optimization, and addressing emerging zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Topic editors: Sohrab Ahmadivand, Philip John Griebel Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85595/emerging-frontiers-in-veterinary-vaccinology-and-protective-immunity